Oceans For Emotions: Thank you for moms who do their best

'Oceans For Emotions'

Get the perfect Mother's Day present, one size fits all. Vol. III of Elaine Wheat's book, "Oceans For Emotions," is on sale at the Victoria Advocate for $10.

"Who can find a virtuous woman?"

- Proverbs 31:10

I can find a virtuous woman - my mom. Some of the happiest times I can remember during this Mother's Day season was fishing with my mom and dad on Mother's Day. She would always reply, "You know what I want? I want to go fishing - it's Mother's Day. And I get to pick the spot."

My daddy would load up the 25 horsepower motor, I would load up the rest of the fishing equipment, and my mom would bring what was expected of her: a batch of homemade brownies, celery and carrots and a bunch of pimiento cheese sandwiches.

I specifically remember the best Mother's Day fishing trip. My mom, who we called "Budgie" for some unknown reason, chose to fish the channel out of Bayside. We always made her fish off the bow of the boat where she would be least likely to hook us instead of a fish. Before daddy could even get out the anchor, she cast out in front of her, and from its swirl, we could tell it was the biggest redfish we had ever seen.

Daddy and I both offered to help her but she said, "You know the rules. It's only my fish if no one else touches the pole."

The redfish was so big that it started pulling us down the channel. We passed one man in a boat and he asked the required question, "What have you got?" Budgie answered, "He's caught us; we haven't yet caught him," as he mercilessly pulls us down the channel.

Knowing my mom as well as daddy and I did, we never doubted who was going to win. Finally, she was able to pump the redfish toward her, where she got it next to the boat and gave Daddy permission to net it when she said it was time to net it.

She strung it so she could make sure that she could hold it up with both arms to show all the other fishermen what she had caught.

I said to Budgie, "I love it that I have a Mama that likes to fish."

She said, "You are old enough to know the truth now, I don't like to fish. I just pretend to because I love the people I fish with, your dad and you."

Of course, when we got back to land we took a picture and the redfish was frowning and Budgie was grinning from ear-to-ear.

Dear Lord, thank you for the wonderful memories we made on that Mother's Day, and thank you for my mom, who was a truly virtuous woman, and for rest of us moms who just truly do the best that we can.